Lawsuits by employees against their employers have grown tremendously in the past decade. Sometimes those lawsuits have merit, sometimes they don’t. But, either way, those lawsuits cost time and money to fight—money that is better spent on product development, training and raises.

Even worse, some laws—including federal overtime law and the Family and Medical Leave Act—allow employees to sue their supervisors directly, meaning a manager’s personal bank account could be at stake.

Most lawsuits are not triggered by great injustices. Instead, simple management mistakes and perceived slights start the snowball of discontent rolling downhill toward the courtroom.

Here are 12 of the biggest manager mistakes that harm an organization’s credibility in court. Use these points as a checklist to shore up your personal employment-law defense:

1. Sloppy documentation

Most discrimination cases aren’t won with “smoking gun” evidence....(register to read more)

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Monday's Training:

Most readers of reports and emails are skeptical of the information contained in documents that are riddled with easily corrected surface errors. Don't let yours be one of them....Click here to find out more.